


Mother Tongue

by Remmy_Writes



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Agent Carter References, Bodyguard, Bodyguard Romance, Canon Universe, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Female Friendship, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Not Agent Carter (TV) Compliant, Not Canon Compliant, Original Character(s), Pre-Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Spies & Secret Agents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:29:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29273988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Remmy_Writes/pseuds/Remmy_Writes
Summary: When Daniel Sousa called Maria Inez in the early hours of the morning for assistance on a case, she didn't expect to met the rather handsome jerk that is Jack Thompson. But even after they no longer need her help, he's there, and she doesn't seem to mind.
Relationships: Jack Thompson (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s), Jack Thompson/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	1. prologue aka when Maria meets Jack Thompson

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! You can call me Remmy. This is my first OC fic ever written, and I'll admit that I based this character off of my identity as a White Latina who is the daughter of immigrants. Unlike me, this character speaks multiple languages, although for the most part she'll be speaking English, Spanish, or a mix of both. Anyway, I'm not sure how long this series will be but I hope you all enjoy it either way! If you want to read some more of works you can check out my tumblr (https://remmyswritings.tumblr.com/) as well as another side blog on tumblr (@remmysbounty where I currently write fics for the Mandalorian). I also created another sideblog specific for this series (https://prof-inez-thompson.tumblr.com/) that you can check out if you are interested in sending me asks or just seeing stuff related to the series!

The ringing sound threw her for a loop as she found herself back in the offices that she once considered a safe haven only for them to now house her nightmares. One after another, they set the bells off in her head as she tried to come back into her body. What was she doing? Her hands at first seemed preoccupied with the typewriter sitting in front of her, only for it to slowly disappear. With each ring, the sound got louder and louder as if it were telling her  _ Maria, answer the phone. _ But… where was it? Her body seemed to guide her to where the phone used to sit, only for nothing to be there- and yet, she knew that the phone was ringing. She felt herself going in circles trying to find it, and when she felt her fingers wrap around the receiver, she found herself sitting up in her bed.

Feeling around, she reached her night table and quickly turned on the small lamp resting on it, only to realize that the ringing wasn’t from her dream- it was from her phone. Every nerve in her body was on its ends as her brain tried to wrap itself around the fact that someone was calling her at- her eyes shifted towards her watch, 2:00 am- but before the last ring sounded she brought the receiver up to her ear.

“Miss Inez,” a soft yet slightly gruff voice was on the other end of the phone- she knew that voice, but her brain couldn’t seem to process whose voice it was. 

“Si, quién está preguntando?” Maria hadn’t even realized that she was speaking in her mother tongue- all she knew was that someone was on the other side of that call.

“Miss Inez, it's Daniel Sousa,” there was a pause as if he were waiting for some sort of response from her only for him to continue, “I know it’s pretty early, but we could use your help on a case. Can I send someone to pick you up in say a half hour?”

Maria mulled over the request in her head. She never had any grievances toward Chief Sousa, but usually he would approach her when she was in her classroom or the small room in the library she declared her office, never at her home- and never this early. 

Clearing her throat, “Si, eso es- hay perdoname- I’m sorry, yes that works.”

Daniel chuckled softly at her mix of tongues, slowly getting used to it, even if he didn’t fully understand what she said, “Great. Jack Thompson will be coming by in a bit,” there was a bit of background noise only for Daniel to come up and confirm the time with her once again.

Maria set the receiver back down and tested the name of the person who would be coming,  _ Jack Thompson _ , not a bad name- it seemed to roll off her tongue like honey, something that didn’t usually happen with names in English. As she made herself somewhat decent for a very early morning appearance, she repeated the name in her head.

_ Jack Thompson. _

_ Jack. Thompson. _

_ Jack Thompson. _

Yes, it was a nice name she decided- Maria only hoped as her watch showed that the time was 2:30 that the person who had that name was as kind as Daniel, only to find that she was sorely mistaken.

\--

_Si, quién está preguntando?_ : yes, who is asking?

_Si, eso es- hay perdoname-_ : yes, that is- oh forgive me/sorry


	2. chapter 1: Peggy isn't the only one who can't stand Jack Thompson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maria meets Peggy.... and thinks that Jack is a big jerk

The first thing that caught Maria’s eye as she finally met her pickup wasn’t his attractiveness, which he was attractive she’d admit to herself later, or the fact that he was wide awake so early in the morning, which surprised her considering how tired Daniel sounded on the phone, no instead it was his grouchiness. All this Jack Thompson seemed to do was mutter under his breath- something along the lines of _Sousa_ , _civilian_ , and _errand boy_. Maria wanted to chuckle at his ramblings but she knew that wouldn’t help her stay on this man’s good side, so she let his complaints be the one thing that filled the air as he drove the two of them to the SSR.

She was happy to see a familiar face when she arrived and could only softly smile as Daniel gave her one in return, one that screamed _I’m sorry,_ before quickly going into what she called agent-mode.

As Daniel explained the reason as to why Maria was called down into the office, she felt the annoyance of this Jack Thompson grow and grow when she would ask for further explanation. With each frustrating sigh from him, came a deep breath in from her, _calmate_ , she thought, _calmate_. It was a small whisper running constantly in the back of her head, but luckily when she finally made it to the desk left empty for her, she felt no need to continue thinking that one word.

Hours passed before she met another soul that wasn’t the two men bickering in the chief’s office. Maria had learned from a young age how to block it all out, and just get the work done, that’s all they needed her for- the work- and once she was done she could go back to her life.

Then the tell-tale sound of heels clicking on the floor caught her attention, this wasn’t like a secretary or a cleaner who tried to keep themselves as invisible as possible, this was the sound of a woman who knew the power she held, and valued it. Maria couldn’t stop herself from looking up, only to find herself face-to-face with the only female agent in the building.

Her crisp British accent is what caught Maria’s attention first, “You must be Maria,” a hand was held out for her to shake, “Daniel mentioned that he would be calling you. I just didn’t expect it to be so early.”

“Yes,” Maria’s accent wasn’t as strong as the woman’s in front of her but for once she didn’t mind if it shone through, “You must be Margaret.”

A soft smile- one that could only be given when you recognize the other person’s situation- passed over the woman’s face, “You can call me Peggy.”

Maria repeated the name in her head as she nodded slightly before planning to return to her work. Even though they had a small interaction, Maria decided she already liked Peggy- a lot more than Jack Thompson that is for sure. 

Peggy returned again with what seemed like a cup of coffee only for Maria to shake her head and whisper a small _no, gracias_ before she quickly found herself explaining what she was doing to Peggy. Even without a single word uttered by the brit as Maria showed her what she was working on, it was discovered either way that not only had she found a fellow codebreaker but also a friend. Only for the joy to be ruined by Thompson, “Carter, we didn’t ask you to come in just for you to enjoy some dame time.”

Peggy watched as the smile on Maria’s face disappeared only for another one to appear as quickly as it did, so she did the only thing she could do, “Well I’m sorry Jack, but I had to do something since neither of you had decided to at least talk with our _guest_ since she arrived.”

Maria could only stare in wonder at the way Jack shrinked himself down at being met with Peggy Carter’s stare, and if it wasn’t for the fact that these two people were practically strangers, she might have started laughing. When Peggy looked at Maria’s face once again, she was happy to see the recognizable stifle of a laugh pass over her face as she returned to the documents in front of her. For once Peggy Carter wasn’t the only one who couldn’t stand Jack Thompson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> translation:  
> calmate: calm down or calm yourself  
> no gracias: no, thank you


	3. chapter 2: Maria and Jack get... close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maria and Jack continue to get close... and Jack gets a better understanding about what it means to be a Latina daughter of immigrants. (i'm not the best at summaries so apologiess)

What Maria had expected to take her only a couple hours in the morning, resulted in a week-long assignment where each and every day started and ended with Jack Thompson in front of her door. While she would happily accept working with the SSR agents if it meant getting bad guys off the street and out of her city, she really didn’t want that at the risk of feeling her neighbor’s judgemental gaze for the fifth time  _ this week _ because of the gringo she now spent time with. 

They weren’t exactly friends but Jack had definitely become softer in his approach to her- and would even go out of his way to buy her a drink she said she enjoyed from a restaurant they passed once- maybe it was because he liked the smile that would rest on her lips the whole day, or maybe it was because he felt bad about having to wake her up so early when she clearly wasn’t used to it… Jack wasn’t entirely sure why he did it either, but it was only a week, so why should it matter. 

One morning though, he realized that maybe everything wasn’t as simple as he liked to believe. He’d arrived at his spot and leaned against the passenger door as he waited for Maria to come out. He looked down at his watch, he got the time right, so where is she? Then he heard it- the yelling, the orders, was that crying? Jack quickly rushed around to where the sound was coming from. There Maria was, standing at her door as she seemed to be staring down some men in suits, and that’s when he heard it.

“I am an American citizen, I’m even working with the SSR on an assignment-” “Well we got a tip that says otherwise.” “A-” and then no more noise came from Maria. He watched as she gripped onto her doorway with all her might, her eyes shining from the tears that were nowhere close from falling, then a lot softer, “I am an American citizen.”

Jack thought it would be okay, that these men would back off and then something that reminded him of his fear from when he was fighting flickered past Maria’s face.

“What’s going on here!” Jack didn’t miss the way Maria’s body relaxed against her door, nor how his words sounded less like a question and more like a demand.

The three men quickly turned to him, “And who are you?” The arrogance coming from all three made Jack want to punch something, but he quickly realized that wouldn’t help the situation at all.

“Jack Thompson, SSR.” With those three letters being spoken into the air, it was as if those men just hadn’t spent the last hour harassing Maria as she tried to leave to meet Jack.

“Oh, we’re sorry sir- you just never know with  _ these people _ -” even Jack understood the implication. 

“I wouldn’t continue that sentence if I were you,  _ Agent _ , and I would apologize-” “I don’t have to apologize to-” “You don’t and I’ll have you arrested for hindering an investigation, and we wouldn’t want that would we.”

Maria could only watch with wide eyes and as a soft and clearly insincere apology left the lips of the agent in front of her. Both Jack and her knew they didn’t mean it, and even though Maria wished that they understood what they had done to her, if it meant they would leave her people alone then she happily accepted it. 

When the agents walked around the corner, Maria finally breathed a sigh of relief before remembering who was there with her. She could feel the concern coming off of Jack in waves, but she did not want his pity nor to mull over what happened so she grabbed her purse and her books and set off to the car with Jack on her heels.

As the two of them got settled in for the drive, Jack looked over at her, “Are you okay?”

All Maria gave was a curt nod in response. Jack sighed softly before he started to drive, realizing that no matter how close they had gotten, Maria would never tell him how she really felt.

As the two of them went about their day, Maria code breaking and Jack searching, Jack couldn’t stop his eyes every time they found their way to her. No matter how badly he wanted to believe that she was okay, he couldn’t quite stop thinking of the fear in her eyes before he arrived. He never wanted to see that fear ever again.

Even Peggy and Daniel noticed Jack’s behavior and could only wonder why he suddenly became so protective of their new friend. Of course, if it meant that Jack was no longer being an ass towards them then they didn’t mind.

Suddenly the tranquility that covered the SSR office that morning seemed to come to an end when a new set of codes were placed on Maria’s desk. None of the agents missed the way her hands began to tremble or how she soon had a faraway look in her eye, but before any of them could react she rushed out of the room without a word.

“Jack,” Peggy’s voice was soft, “I think you should go check up on her.”

Jack shook his head, “I’m not good- I wouldn’t know how to- how to help her.”

Peggy could see the worry in Jack’s eyes, “You know her better than the rest of us-“ she stared him down, no longer being soft in her approach, “- _ go _ .”

Jack nodded his head as he rushed out of the room after her. It took a while to find her, he was disappointed to admit but before he gave up the search the sound of muffled sniffles led them to her. Her tear-stained cheeks and warm nose gave way to how she felt but even more so was the way she tended when Jack settled in next to her.

He wasn’t sure what to say first.  _ Are you okay  _ clearly isn’t the question he can ask because she clearly isn’t okay, but if he did ask her anything would she even respond. Jack held his hand out for her to grab, as he drew tiny circles over her thumb and knuckles, “What happened?”

Maria shook her head as she shuffled in closer to Jack, “Saw something I thought I wouldn’t see again after the war.”

No other words needed to be spoken by the two, but when Maria stood up, letting go of Jack’s hand, he wondered why everything suddenly felt so cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> translations:
> 
> gringo: someone who doesn't speak Spanish (that's how I understood it growing up), could also mean American but also outsider/foreigner (based on context)


	4. chapter 3: thank you for caring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack just starts to realize how much he cares for Maria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first off thank you to everyone who has read so far and left kudos I greatly appreciate it :) especially the most recent kudos as it is what inspired me to continue <3

The next day after her past reappeared like a bucket of ice cold water, Maria didn’t stop by the SSR. And then the next and the next and the next. A full week had passed since she’d walked through those doors with Jack on her heels, and he missed her.

Every morning and ever night he’d drive by her small apartment in hopes of at least getting a glimpse of her, but after breaking that last code and leaving for the night it was as if she had become a ghost.

Jack didn’t fully understand why he cared so much for her, after all she was just some civilian, it’s not like they’d see each other again- and yet that’s all he wanted in the world.

As he drove by one last time that night, he realized it would be best to just leave her be and yet he was so tired and the drive back to his place would be so long… maybe he’d be okay just getting a bit of shut-eye before he drove back. Jack wasn’t sure how long he was asleep for, only to be woken up by a thumping sound reverberating through his skull. He blinked as he looked out his window to find Maria’s neighbor, the one who openly called him _gringo_ , knocking. 

“Can I help you with something, ma’am?” Jack was certain his voice was as rough as could be considering he just woke up and from his watch he could tell it was already around midnight.

The woman merely pulled at him to get out of the car, “Ven, ven.” He wanted to tell her that he didn’t understand but he had a feeling if he even talked back slightly he’d be met with the broom she held in her fierce grip. From the way she looked back at him constantly and motioned for him to come closer and closer, Jack finally got what she was saying and quickly followed.

The two of them quickly made their way to Maria’s apartment and for once Jack found himself making it past the threshold to find something that could only be described as a war zone- and this description was coming from him.

As he checked over every inch, he let out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding when not a single droplet of blood caught his eye. Maria’s neighbor was still there watching his every move and then she wasn’t- only to reappear once again with the very person who had consumed Jack’s ever waking thoughts. 

“Jack-“ she stared at the man standing in the middle of what used to be her living room, “what are you- no entiendo- what are you doing here?”

Not a sound left Jack’s lips as he merely stared at Maria, his mouth opening and closing even though nothing came out. Luckily Maria’s neighbor stepped in and even though he didn’t understand a word she said he could only hope with the way that Maria constantly looked his way meant that good things were being said.

Slowly everything else went away and it became just the two of them, “She said you’ve been stopping by a lot recently.”

“Just wanted to see how you were doing is all,” Jack’s eyes followed her tentatively.

“You look tired,” she stood so close that if Jack had the courage too he could lift his hand up and cup her face softly. 

Instead he tightened his hand into a fist and looked away from her, “We’ve been busy, your code breaking really helped us out.”

“I know,” her words were soft, “Peggy told me- that still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here.”

Jack wasn’t sure how to tell her, how could he if even he didn’t know what he was doing there. He knew Maria could handle herself, hell he saw her record from the war and she could have easily rivaled Marg with what she did, but for some reason he was filled with this want- no _need_ \- to keep that fear and that sadness away from her. 

“I- um- I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” he finally decided on those eight words but for some reason as he saw the light in her eyes dim slightly he wished he had said something else.

“Thank you for coming to check on me Jack,” she stepped away getting closer and closer to her front door, “but it’s getting late, you should go and get some rest.”

And there that sadness was again, the one that Jack wished to never see again, only for him to be the reason that caused it, so he merely nodded his head and wished Maria a good night as he stepped out her door. He didn’t miss the way that Maria’s neighbor seemed to watch him with what he called motherly disappointment until he made it to his car and drove off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> translations:
> 
> ven, ven: come, come  
> no entiendo: I don't understand


End file.
